Non vendimus quod non bibimus
  • Recipes
  • September 28, 2017

Dr. Blackwell Evan’s Gumbo

3 %

From the mid-eighties to the mid-nineties, Becky held yearly Burgundy tastings at Martin’s, the famed wine merchant in New Orleans. Rick Hopper was then the buyer for Martin’s, and Dr. Blackwell Evans was a close friend of his. Blackwell was not a wine geek per se, but he enjoyed food and wine. Since no harm would come from attending Becky’s tastings except financial, he did.

When Rick visited Burgundy for the first time, Blackwell came with him and did all the driving. Rick returned to Burgundy yearly, always with Blackwell, who always drove. This led Becky and Russell to believe for years that Rick couldn’t drive. He could. But he wanted the option of not having to spit at tastings.

One year, Rick had to cancel his visit. Blackwell came anyway. And when after changing jobs Rick stopped coming altogether, Blackwell continued to pay Becky and Russell a yearly visit. A few years ago, his visiting schedule was changed to twice yearly.

Despite his fiction-grade name, Blackwell is an actual doctor who practices internal medicine, and an Associate Professor of Medicine at the Tulane University Medical Center. All Wasserman-Hones aging rapidly, he is happy to offer a second opinion on an ever increasing list of ailments. Generally, this means cocking his head forward, peering sternly over his glasses, and informing the patients without hoping for manifest progress that what they really need to do is change their lifestyles.

There are four more reasons why Blackwell is always welcome at the house: he does not care to geek out on wine; he doesn’t go tasting all that much anymore, and requires no appointments to be made for him; he is extremely low maintenance; if he disapproves of us, he doesn’t show it. Blackwell just brings the collected works of an author, and reads his way through them in silence. This year, he chose Trollope.

When not reading —and when the Wasserman-Hones are feeling talkative— Blackwell is an excellent conversationalist. He particularly likes to talk politics, and the Wasserman-Hones enjoy talking back to him, not only because our sensibilities are similar, but because he is a Southerner. Southern politics are the stuff thrillers are made of.

Many years ago, Blackwell wanted to express his gratitude to the Becky Wasserman & Co team. Since we eat most lunches together, and systematically talk about food —what we are eating, what we ate the night before, what we will eat tonight— Blackwell, who is an excellent cook, made Gumbo for us. He knew the way to our hearts. It was divine. It was thereby immediately and unanimously voted that he must cook gumbo for us every year. Dr. Blackwell Evan's Gumbo is now a twenty year-old institution.

  • DIFFICULTY Moderate
  • TIME 3 hours
  • PORTIONS 8 people

YOU WILL NEED

  1. For the Gumbo Base

    2. 1¼ lb. Creole (Polish, French garlic) smoked sausage, sliced ½ inch thick
    4. ½ lb. lean baked ham, cut into ½-inch cubes
    6. 1 Fryer (for the French: this is a chicken), 3 ½ to 4 lb. cut up
    8. ½ cup chopped green pepper
    10. ½ cup thinly sliced green shallot (scallion) tops
    12. 2 Tbs. finely minced parsley
    14. 1 Tbs. finely minced garlic
    16. 2 cups chopped onion

  3. For the Roux

    2. 2/3 cup vegetable oil
    4. ½ cup flour

  5. Liquid & Seasonings

    2. 2 qt. cold water
    4. 3 tsp. salt
    6. 1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
    8. 1/8 tsp. cayenne
    10. 1 ¼ tsp. dried thyme
    12. 3 whole bay leaves, crushed
    14. 2 ½ to 3 Tbs. filé powder
  1. Preheat the oven to 175°F. After assembling the ingredients for the gumbo base, in a heavy 7- to 8-quart pot or kettle, heat the oil over high heat. Brown the chicken parts in the hot oil, turning them several times to ensure even browning. Removed to a heated platter and place in oven to keep warm.
  2. Make the roux by gradually adding the flower to the oil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat and cook, always stirring, until a medium brown roux (the color of hazelnuts) is formed. (Dr. Evans: “It takes 35-45 minutes to make the roux. That is about two glasses of wine. Go to the bathroom before you start. Do not answer the phone or check your mail. Music helps you maintain an even stroke.”)
  3. When the roux reaches the right color, immediately add the sausage, ham, onion, green pepper, shallot tops, parsley, garlic. Continue cooking over low heat for 10 minutes more, still stirring. Ten add ¼ cup of the water, the reserved chicken pieces, and all the seasonings, except the filé powder, mix thoroughly. (Dr. Evans: “For French taste I reduces the cayenne pepper to ¼ to ½ of that called for in the recipe. I encourage people to use tabasco to taste at the table.”)
  4. Gradually stir in the rest of the water. Raise the heat a bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer the gumbo for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until the chicken parts are tender. Stir frequently, taking care not to break the pieces of chicken. Remove the pot from the heat and let the simmer die down, then add the file powder and stir.
  5. Let the gumbo stand in the pot for 5 minutes after adding the file, then serve in gumbo bowls or deep soup plates over boiled rice. (Dr. Evans: “The gumbo is always much better the next day. I highly recommend letting it sit overnight at least.”)

Wine Pairings

  • #Alsace #Deiss #Food & Wine #Gamay #Gumbo #Pairing #Recipes #Sérol #Tastings
byWasserman Blog